Information Literacy

What is Information Literacy?

Information Literacy is the development of a proper relationship with information. In the context of college and seminary education, this is particularly focused on academic research.

At Ozark Christian College and Lincoln Seminary, we seek to develop information literacy skills throughout the whole educational career of the student. These skills help the student engage with their education better, increase confidence in their research abilities for assignments, and develop into habits of lifelong learning beyond higher education.

The ultimate goal of information literacy is to teach students that academic education is a broad, interactive conversation, how to learn from the resources of scholarship, and how to properly engage in that academic conversation.
 

There are five main steps to information literacy:

1) Learning how to gain access or find quality resources

2) Correctly identifying and evaluating relevant academic resources

3) Learning how to navigate resources, including both electronic databases and physical materials

4) Learning how to use specialized resources for research according to the student’s area of study

5) Proper citation of research material

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a powerful tool to aid the student in research, but all tools must be used properly. Students should review the Academic Integrity Policy in their academic catalog for specific expectations regarding artificial intelligence. Students should also review the syllabus of each course for their instructor's guidance or prohibition of using artificial intelligence for assignments and research. The student is free to use AI for research as long as it does not generate content that the student simply places in their assignments. Students should be careful how they use AI to edit or grammatically fix their assignments. Too many changes to words, sentence structure, or grammar substantially change the work from being generated by the student to being generated by AI, which will be flagged as AI plagiarism. 

Using the five basics of information literacy above as a lens to determine the usefulness of AI in research, here is what we find:

• Access and Navigation - AI is a great tool to find information and navigate all of the possible avenues for research. Examples of allowable uses of AI in initial research are asking it to list some of the scholars known for writing on a given topic, what the different schools of thought are over a given topic, or what the titles of books or articles written by a particular scholar are. AI can help a student get an initial, general understanding of new topics or ideas to begin the research process.
• Evaluation - AI can help the student analyze and evaluate aspects of information. This can aid the student in organizing and determining the relevance of particular aspects of their research. While this can be a helpful usage of AI in the research process, the student must not use AI to create or generate key aspects of their final assignment. Many people find this usage of AI quite hard to implement on account of blurring the lines between their own academic work and the AI model’s contributions. This is where students must be very careful to follow the Academic Integrity Policy as outlined in the academic catalog.
• Specialized Research - This becomes an issue of finding the right tool for the right job. Different AI programs are good for different kinds of research. Some kinds of research are simply too nuanced for AI to do, or it would take a significant amount of time investment beyond what is wise for the student. Some AI models have been surprisingly good at linguistic analysis and quite poor at providing historical or interpretive analysis. Because of this, AI cannot be relied on in specialized research, even if it is used as a tool for analysis. The student is always responsible for the creation, structure, and arguments articulated in their assignments.
• Citation - Students should not rely on AI to generate citations or provide citations for research. AI tools sometimes generate inaccurate or fabricated citations. Essentially, AI creates fake scholarship to present to the student according to what it believes the student is looking for. Because of this, students should only provide citations from academic resources they have personally used in the research process. 

What is Plagiarism? 

A general definition of plagiarism is the submission of material, in part or in whole, under the pretense that it is your own work when it is not, because 1) it lacks proper citation, quotation, and/or appropriate documentation, or 2) it was improperly created or generated, whether by artificial intelligence, unauthorized resubmission, or insufficient participation in the research process. 

Students should review the Academic Integrity Policy in the academic catalog for specific expectations regarding plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, and facilitating academic dishonesty. This policy also outlines the process of faculty reporting and student appeals to the Academic Office. Students should also carefully review the syllabus of each course, as academic integrity expectations or ethics may be different under the guidance of some faculty, particularly on account of the different kinds of material studied by various courses.

What is Self-Plagiarism?

Self-plagiarism is the unauthorized use of previously generated academic or other material presented to an instructor as newly created work.

Since most assignments are now turned in electronically and scanned for plagiarism, self-plagiarism is something to be avoided by not misusing previously submitted work in a new assignment, since it will be flagged as plagiarism. The solution is to get authorization from the instructor so that the former research material can be used in the new assignment. Even if allowed, students should expect professors to require some basic changes, clarifications, nuance, or further research that builds on the previous material rather than simply accepting previously generated material in a new assignment. 

How do I find academic resources for assignments?

Learning how to access academic research material is the first step in information literacy. Students in higher education should rarely and carefully use the general internet for research unless guided to particular resources by an academic tutor, a faculty member, or the library.

Students should begin finding academic resources for research in the following places:

1) the bibliography section of the course syllabus,

2) the subject section(s) in the Seth Wilson Library,

3) the degree-focused and subject-based “Start Your Research” LibGuides, and

4) the library's electronic resources.

If you have any questions or need assistance gaining access to these resources, be sure to reach out to the librarians or library clerks at the Seth Wilson Library circulation desk or send the library a message in the Library Resources Canvas or to [email protected].

What are academic resources?

Learning how to identify and evaluate relevant academic information and resources is the second step in information literacy. For example, while general knowledge can be accessed online credibly as a starting place for research, such as the Merriam-Webster Dictionary or Encyclopedia Britannica, these resources are not considered suitable academic quality for assignments in the College or Seminary.

Proper academic materials or resources for research should normally meet at least one of the following criteria:

1) The resource is a primary source.

2) The resource is published by an academic journal, a reputable publishing house, or a college or university press

3) The resource is a thesis or dissertation from an accredited academic institution.

4) The resource is material made publicly available by a research institution or organization led by reputable scholars, such as the United Bible Societies or the Society of Biblical Literature. 

Where do I find academic resources?

The third step to information literacy is learning how to navigate the available library resources. Students have the opportunity to use the Seth Wilson Library, one of the most extensive academic libraries in the region, which focuses heavily on biblical, ministerial, and theological resources. 

Physical Books

• The physical collections can be browsed in-person or by using the Locate catalog. When looking at a book’s catalog record in Locate, you can scroll down on the webpage to view similar titles based on the proximity and subject!
• To search for fiction and nonfiction physical books outside of the Seth Wilson Library, students can browse the collections of over 230 other regional libraries, both academic and public, in the MOBIUS OpenRS catalog or even search libraries all over the world by using WorldCat.

Electronic Databases

• To find many electronic titles and audiobooks, both fiction and nonfiction, the Libby app is the place to search. The Libby app is usable in a computer browser, but it was made and optimized for mobile smartphone usage. The Libby app is available from your mobile app store.
• To begin exploring the library’s electronic databases, students should start their research with EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS). Be sure to always click on “Full Text” under the search bar! The EDS will help students find physical books in the Seth Wilson Library, electronic books, and journal articles from many databases.
• For more journals and primary documents, search the JSTOR and The Treasury of Greek Language databases. 
• For more electronic books, there are many academic resources in the Bloomsbury Theology and Religion Online database. Some of these online resources include the New International Commentaries on the Old Testament and New Testament sets, the Pillar Commentary Series, the Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament and New Testament sets, various Eerdmans dictionaries, the T&T Clark Dictionary of Second Temple Judaism, the Ancient Christian Writers series, and more!
• Many biblical, religious, and theological theses and dissertations are available for research through the Theological Research Exchange Network.
• Those students in a distance education degree program have access to Perlego, provided by the College and Seminary. This is a “Netflix-style” platform for electronic books. There are millions of fiction, nonfiction, and academic titles available. Users can engage with these resources through highlighting, making notes, and even changing font for readability. Many books can be listened to through the developing audio-overlay feature! Students must create an account with their occ.edu email address using the link provided in their orientation email. 

For help navigating these resources and databases, there are walkthrough LibGuides for each one. If further assistance is needed, be sure to reach out to the librarians or library clerks at the Seth Wilson Library circulation desk or send the library a message in the Library Resources Canvas or to [email protected].

How do I study at Ozark?

Getting familiar with the various kinds of specialized research material is the fourth part of the student’s information literacy journey. At Ozark Christian College and Lincoln Seminary, all students will be expected to engage in specialized research in the areas of biblical, religious, and theological study. Below is a list of the commonly used resources in biblical studies research. The order of the list is also a helpful research process for students to work through biblical research. Students should clarify with their instructors what the research process, including resources, should be for different fields of study.

1. The student should have a text to begin examining. If a topic is the focus of the assignment, the student should choose a related biblical text to begin the research process.
2. Commentaries - These are books dedicated to a close reading of the biblical text. Some have special emphases, such as preaching or language study, but all seek to help the reader better understand the ideas in the text. The commentaries in the Bloomsbury Theology and Religion Online database are a great place to start.
3. Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, and Handbooks - Once the ideas of the text are better understood with the help of commentaries, these books help explore the ideas and topics found in the biblical text. Good examples to begin with are the Anchor Bible Dictionaries, the IVP Dictionaries, the various Oxford Handbooks, and the Dictionaries of Biblical Imagery.
4. Word study with Concordances and Lexicons - Students will use concordances to find where in the Bible the same English word is used. This allows for further commentary research, and then possibly more reading about ideas and topics from the new, similar passages. Students will use lexicons, which are dictionaries for ancient and classical languages, to research the meaning of biblical words from their ancient and classical contexts. There are some usable language resources online to begin biblical language research, such as the STEP Bible project and the United Bible Societies’ MARBLE resource. The library also provides online access to one of the best Greek lexicons available today, the Brill Dictionary of Ancient Greek.
5. Primary sources - Primary sources are ancient, classical, patristic, and medieval writings. The research process up to this point will help the student discover which primary sources should be read in connection with the biblical text being studied. These readings will help the student understand the world out of which the text developed. Further, primary sources will help the student understand the words, concepts, ideas, and writing style of the scriptures. Many primary sources are available online in both their original languages and English translations, including Second Temple and Rabbinic Jewish Literature, Ancient Greek, Classical Greek and Roman literature, the Early Church Fathers set, and the Ancient Christian Writers series. Dr. Andrew Nichols has also created an original bibliography of English translations of biblical commentaries by the church fathers.
6. Journal articles - Journal articles allow students to research texts, topics, and words in very specific and nuanced ways. It’s important to leave journal articles alone until the earlier stages of the research process have been worked through first. Journal articles are where scholars have fun and experiment with new ideas. They are often meant to explore new ideas, challenge other ideas or interpretations of scholarship, and provoke others to further thoughtful scholarship. For this reason, journal articles can be helpful or confusing, encouraging or strange, challenging or frustrating, exciting or boring. Students need the initial foundation in the biblical text, scholarship, and primary source knowledge to evaluate the usefulness of journal articles for their research. The best way to explore journal articles is in the EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) and in JSTOR. It’s always best to choose “Full Text” and use the advanced search settings to set limits on research parameters.
7. Essay books - Essay books are published titles in which each chapter is a standalone essay or article by a different scholar. These are usually similar to a journal article, except they are considered less exploratory and a bit more trustworthy as a form of scholarship. Checking the table of contents to find the most relevant chapters and then reading the introductory paragraphs of those chapters is the best way to evaluate the usefulness of this material.

8. Monographs - Monographs are regular books in which the whole book addresses a particular subject with various chapters, all written usually by one or two authors. Most required readings for academic courses are monographs. Since reading an entire book takes a significant amount of time, this kind of research comes at the end of the research process, but can be done earlier if the student makes time for the rest of the research process as they read the monograph.

   Getting familiar with the various kinds of specialized research material is the fourth part of the student’s information literacy journey. At Ozark Christian College and Lincoln Seminary, all students will be expected to engage in specialized research in the areas of biblical, religious, and theological study. Below is a list of the commonly used resources in biblical studies research. The order of the list is also a helpful research process for students to work through biblical research. Students should clarify with their instructors what the research process, including resources, should be for different fields of study.

Why are citations important?

Following proper citation methods is a critical last step in information literacy. Citations are important for ethical research and scholarship in higher education. More importantly, though, using proper citation methods is important for students at Ozark Christian College and Lincoln Seminary as a practice of ministry integrity. All ministry leaders should quickly and willingly give honor to those who taught them the faith. Ministry leaders should give confidence to those they serve by showing how they have received the faith from previous generations of the Church. 

When do I need a citation?

A citation is needed anytime a statement about primary texts, including the scripture, historical facts, or whenever the student quotes, paraphrases, summarizes, or relies on the ideas of another author. Personal reflections, opinions, or interpretations do not need citations, but any quotation or use of an idea from a text or person should be properly cited. This practice begins to teach the student areas of study and the common scholars who write on those topics or texts. It also shows professors the student’s engagement with scholarship and where the student learned any particular piece of information used in an assignment.

What do I need to know about citations?

For most assignments at Ozark Christian College and Lincoln Seminary, the citation method used is called Turabian 9th Edition. For counseling and psychology courses, the citation method to use is the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th Edition. The Academic Resource Commons provides several helpful resources for both Turabian and APA. While citation generators, such as Zotero, are helpful, they only work as long as the student makes sure all information is put into the program correctly. It should be noted that the student is always responsible for proper citation formatting, whether they use a citation generator or not.